EZEKIEL HARRIS, 25

Executive director,
MACC Development

A tale of two cities: While growing up the youngest of a single mother of two in Flint, Ezekiel Harris said he resented Detroit. After all, the proverbial Vehicle City and Motor City, about 70 miles apart, share similar stories of high vacancy, poverty and crime rates.

"A lot that Detroit is facing, Flint is facing," the 25-year-old said about the once-booming automotive towns. But "people were still coming to Detroit, but not necessarily to Flint, because of [Detroit's] history."

After earning a political science degree in three years at University of Michigan, Harris, too, found himself coming to the metropolis south of his hometown in 2014 and served as a fellow with Challenge Detroit for nearly two years.

"I did a lot of leadership development through different projects where I was able to consult with different nonprofits across the city," he said.

Following a stint with United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Harris joined Detroit revitalization group MACC Development as executive director in 2016. He's spent the past two years leading the $1.5 million development of The Commons, a 12,000-square-foot café-cum-laundromat and community center near Mack Avenue and Van Dyke.

"We started construction a month after I was hired," Harris said. "I'm most proud of the people I work with and everything that came together to do it successfully."

The center is now revving up for a grand opening May 12. The café opened for business in March.

After about four years in his adopted city, Harris said he has become less influenced by the Detroit he saw from afar in the headlines. Now it's his home, a place where he can follow his passion for social impact.

"I really love it and even bought a house here," Harris said. "Once you live in the neighborhood enough, you stop thinking about where someone is from and begin to recognize who they are."

Get Free Newsletters

Make sure you don't miss a thing by subscribing to our newsletters.

Email Address

Join Today

With a Crain’s Detroit Membership you get exclusive access, insights and experiences to help you succeed in business.